ACTING FOR THE SCREEN
In New York resides a dramatic critic, now on the staff of a great
newspaper, who has his own ideas about movie acting. The idea in
question is that there is no such thing as movie acting--and the
gentleman carries it out by refusing to allow the word "acting" to be
printed in any of the notices and reviews in his newspaper. When he
wishes to convey the thought that such and such a star acted in such and
such a picture he says, "Miss So-and-So posed before the camera in the
motion picture."
Now this critic is a good critic, as critics go, but he would be
improved physically and mentally by a set of those monkey glands which
the medicos are so successfully grafting upon various ossified
personalities. Anyone who thinks that there is no such thing as motion
picture acting is probably still wondering whether the Germans will win
the war. Motion picture acting is a highly developed art, with a
technique quite as involved as that of the legitimate stage.
The fundamental principle to remember in undertaking screen acting is
that the camera demands far greater realism on the part of the actor
than the eyes of an audience. An actor in the spoken drama nearly always
overplays or underplays his part. If he recited the same lines in the
same tone with the same gestures in real life, he would appear to be
just a little bit spiffy, as they say in English drinking circles. On
the stage it is necessary to overdraw the character in order to convey a
realistic impression to the audience; exact naturalism on the stage
would appear as unreal as an unrouged face under a spotlight.
The camera, however, demands absolute realism. Actors must act as
naturally and as leisurely as they would in their own homes. Their
expressions must be no more pronounced than they would be in real life.
Above all, they must be absolutely unconscious of the existence of the
camera.
Any deviation from this course leads to the most mortifying results on
the screen. The face, enlarged many times life size, becomes clearly
that of an actor, rather than a real character. The assumed expression
of hate or fear which would seem so natural on the stage is merely
grotesque in the film. Unless the actor is really _thinking_ the things
he is trying to portray on the screen, the audience becomes instantly
aware that something is wrong.
In the same way the camera picks up and accentuates every motion on the
part of the actor. An unnecessary gesture is not noticed on the stage.
On the screen, enlarged many times, it is instantly noted.
The two most important rules to follow, then, in motion picture acting
are: act as you would under the same circumstances in real life, and
eliminate all movement and gesture which does not bear on the scene. It
is better not to move at all than to make a false move.
Beginners must adjust their walk to the camera. There is no rule for
this, however, as every individual's way of standing and walking is
different. Only through repeated tests can the beginner discover and
correct the defects which are sure to appear in his physical pose the
first time he acts before a camera.
Often in making a picture, the director will instruct his cast to "speed
up" or "slow down" their scene. Sometimes, also, he will alter the tempo
of the scene by slowing down or speeding up the rate at which the camera
is being cranked. Beginners must follow such instructions to the letter,
for the timing of a scene is a vitally important part of picture
production and a duty which is entirely in the hands of the director.
The best way to learn the principles of motion picture acting is to
watch the making of as many scenes as possible before attempting to act
one. Most of the stars of to-day learned their art by watching the
efforts of others before the camera. Only by constant observation in the
studio and, more important, in real life, where the actions and
reactions of real people can be noted, can an actor hope to become
proficient.